


Stronger Together

by YesDanvers05



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-16 04:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21501577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YesDanvers05/pseuds/YesDanvers05
Summary: After nearly two years in the Marines, Kara Danvers faced a career ending injury that forces her to move back to her hometown with her mother and sister, Alex Danvers. Her return home forces her to deal with some things in her past as well as incredibly hard present truths.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Supercorp - Relationship
Comments: 29
Kudos: 207





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Story also on wattpad

The lakes of Midvale were often considered the most beautiful part of the area. By mid-October, the shallower parts of the lakes were dark, chilled, and frozen. Once the shallow ends of the lake showed signs of solid ice, local skaters made their way out of their houses for some winter fun. Though there was nothing special about the lakes—in fact, they often had a strange odor and color to them—people loved them. Tourists found them “quirky” while the locals found them “homey.”

Despite growing up in Midvale, Kara Danvers wouldn’t use either of those words to describe the lakes anymore. When she was younger, she and her sister, Alex, loved the lakes. They would swim in them during the summer and skate on them in the winter despite their mother’s strong argument against it. Kara use to love the lakes, but as she looked at them out of the passenger side window of Alex’s range rover as they drove into town, her stomach churned.

Her hometown didn’t feel familiar anymore. After spending a little over two years deployed in several deserts over in the Middle East, Kara had nearly forgotten what “home” looked like. When she was younger, everyone on the street looked familiar because in such a small town, it was hard to be strangers with anyone, but now, all of the faces looked foreign to her. It didn’t help that she was unwillingly coming home. Her plan out of high school was to enlist in the Marines and leave her past life behind her, which she did for the most part. However, the part she never planned on was suffering a career ending injury that would force her to move back to her past. 

The lights of downtown Midvale were blinding, so Kara shut her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cold window. Kara wasn’t ready for the pity her old friends and family would take on her. When Alex picked her up from the airport, the look of pity was plastered across her face. Kara didn’t want people to feel sorry for her, but she could practically see their faces and hear their questions already— “are you okay?”, “does it like... still hurt?”, “are you in therapy?” The onset of uncomfortable thoughts plummeted Kara back into her dark thoughts.

Nearly three weeks ago, Kara and her team were given a simple mission. They were tasked with transporting some items from one village to another, but when they passed through a local street, her team was ambushed. Their HUMV hit an IUD and they took on fire from an unknown group. It all happened so fast. One minute she was joking with her team and the next, the HUMV was flipped upside down and her leg was pinned. The memory was so fresh in her mind that Kara could practically feel the weight of the vehicle on her again. Kara couldn’t pinpoint what hurt more though—losing her leg or having her fellow solider, her friend, Leslie, die for her.

When a warm hand landed on her bicep, Kara’s eyes snapped open and she realized the car had stopped moving. A cold sweat begun and Kara’s chest felt tight. “Kara,” Alex asked and Kara’s shoulders released all of their tension. A panic attack was lingering deep within her, but Alex’s soft voice reminded Kara that she was no longer under attack. It was just a memory. A very dark, vivid memory.

“Are you ready?” Kara didn’t respond. Instead, she took a moment to calm down and drink in the sight of her childhood home. It looked the same as she left it nearly two years ago except for the dead plants out front. Kara desperately wanted to leave, but when she heard Alex exit the vehicle, she knew there was no running away now. Kara was frozen—maybe with fear or even hate at the memory of the past—but whatever it was, it was keeping her inside the car. The passenger door opened and Alex placed her hand on Kara’s cheek. A stray tear worked its way down Kara’s face and onto Alex’s pale hand. It was all too real now.

“Well,” Kara said, taking a shaky breath, “I guess I have to be ready.”

Alex gave Kara a sad, but encouraging smile and helped her out of the car. Snow had already made a home on the grass and sidewalks, which once would have made Kara smile, but when she could only feel it under one foot, she wanted to throw up. 

Before shutting the car door, Alex fished out Kara’s crutches from the backseat and gave them to her sister. The younger Danvers sister hadn’t fully adjusted to using the crutches in everyday life yet, so she awkwardly leaned her weight on them and hobbled forward. Having to use crutches made Kara painfully aware of her situation and she just hoped that the healing process would quicken so she could make it through physical therapy and get back to some normalcy. 

The two women barely made it five feet into the front yard before the front door of their house was flung open and their mother, Eliza, was running to greet them. “Oh, my baby,” Eliza whispered as she hugged Kara close. “It’s been so long—too long—since you’ve been home.” 

Kara released a deep breath she was holding in. She knew her adopted mother meant well, but the words she spoke made Kara cringe. She wanted to be away from home, she wanted to be back on the battle field, but this was permanent now. She could never be gone for too long again. Kara wanted to say something snarking, but she bit her tongue and whispered, “yeah.” The mother daughter-duo stood there for a moment—Eliza’s arms secured tightly around Kara and Kara wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

Alex finally made her presence known and Eliza released her grip around Kara to hug her eldest daughter. Kara utilized the sudden freedom she felt and crutched her way into her childhood home. The smell of cinnamon lingered at the front door of the house and Kara finally felt something familiar. When she finally crossed the threshold into the house, an onset of emotions took over Kara and suddenly, she was fourteen again.  
***  
“It’s not that bad, Kara. You’re being so dramatic,” Alex drawled.

“Me? Dramatic? You’re the one who broke my leg!” Kara gestured to the dark blue cast around her right leg. The bewildered expression on her face made Alex laugh harder and Kara punched her shoulder, which warranted a hit back from her big sister. 

“It wasn’t my fault,” Alex claimed and put her hands up as if to show innocence.

“You’re the one who said ‘oh Kara I bet you can’t jump from the roof into the pool,’ I was simply a pawn in your game,” Kara said defending herself.

“Don’t turn this around on me! Sure, I said that, but you’re the dummy who attempted it.”

“Would you two knock it off,” Eliza said from the driver seat of their Subaru. Kara went to protest her mother’s words, but the look she was receiving through the rear-view mirror shut her up. Alex winked at her and stuck out her tongue in victory. Kara let out a frustrated sigh and stared out the window as they drove through town. 

The rest of the car ride was rather silent, except for the sound of a talk show on the radio. When they finally got home, Eliza turned in her seat to look at her daughters. “Now, we’re going to have to have a discussion about the punishment you both will be facing,” Eliza started, “but for now, get your butts into the house. There are apple cinnamon cookies waiting in the kitchen.”

Alex didn’t even wait for the car engine to shut off. Before either Kara or Eliza realized it, Alex pushed her way out of the car and ran into their house. Kara let out a sigh and clambered out of the car. Maneuvering out of a vehicle with a cast was not the easiest of tasks, but she did it and grabbed her crutches out of the car. Kara was never tasked with using crutches before, so the adjustment period would be awkward, but she was just relieved to be home. She followed her mother up the path leading to their house and took a deep breath. Being injured sucked, but Eliza’s homemade cinnamon apple cookies were worth it.  
***  
When Kara heard Alex and Eliza’s voices behind her, she snapped back to reality and moved further into the house. “There are cinnamon apple cookies in the kitchen,” Kara heard Eliza say as she made her way into the living room. The house had barely changed, except for a few new pictures on the wall. Kara examined them closely and realized that most of the new pictures were of Alex and some dark-haired woman. 

The series of pictures containing her big sister and the woman were so beautiful and by the time Kara had made it to the fourth picture, she realized that the photos were an engagement photoshoot. A part of Kara felt immense sadness for not knowing that her big sister, her best friend, was engaged. Kara wondered if Alex had mentioned this information in one of the many letters, she sent her. If so, how was Kara supposed to explain that she stopped opening them over a year ago?

“That’s Maggie.” The voice startled Kara and she turned to see Alex leaning against the living room doorframe. There were two cookies in her hand.

“Oh, yeah, Maggie,” Kara stuttered and rubbed the back of her next. Alex snorted and moved forward, handing a cookie to Kara and taking a bite out of her own.

“I know you stopped reading my letters,” Alex said as she looked at the photos Kara was just carefully examining. Kara went to protest but Alex put her hand up to silence her sister. “Don’t try to deny it, Kar. It’s okay. I don’t understand why you did, but it’s okay.”

Kara wanted to say something—anything, even if it was just an excuse, but truthfully, she didn’t even know why she stopped reading them. Kara always idolized Alex growing up and to this day, Kara considered Alex to be her only best friend, but something had changed in Kara when she was overseas. She wanted to reinvent herself when she enlisted in the marines and after a while, she realized that, she cut a lot of people out. She wondered if Alex resented her for it—she resented herself for it. 

“How long have you guys been together,” Kara finally asked when she realized that there was no way of getting around it.

“For a little over a year,” Alex said. Kara could see the smile on her sister’s face and, for the first time since her unfortunate accident, Kara genuinely smiled. “We’re getting married in five months.”

“Five months? Is it going to be a big wedding or?” 

“Big enough,” Alex responded with a shrug. 

“If—ya know—things go well and stuff—”

“Yes, Kara, you’re invited,” Alex said interrupting her sister’s babbling. An embarrassed blush crept across Kara’s face and she let out an awkward cough. Kara propped her crutches against the wall and sat down on the couch. It was just as uncomfortable and outdated as she remembered. She finally took a bite out of the warm cookie and she reveled in the taste. It was just like she remembered—so sweet, so warm.  
The sisters sat in silence for a minute and finished their cookies. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence like Kara expected, though. She thought that Alex was going to coddle and worry about her like when they were younger, but her big sister didn’t and she was relieved. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Alex finally broke the silence and sat down across from Kara. 

“About what?” Kara shrugged and looked back at the photos on the wall. 

“Everything, Kara,” Alex said. “The fact that you cut me off or maybe your accident or something?”

Kara ignored the part about her accident and said, “I didn’t cut you off?”

“Oh?” Alex cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Then how didn’t you know about Maggie? Or the wedding? Did you know that I asked you to be my maid of honor?”

Kara turned to her sister; eyes wide. “Alex, I just—”

“No, Kara, don’t give me a bullshit answer.”

“I don’t know, Alex. Things got tough.”

“Things got tough?” Alex stood up as she spoke and paced in front of Kara. Kara felt like a little kid again and, for a second, was afraid of her sister’s wrath. “Things got tough here, too, did you know that? Mom has been struggling financially, Maggie got hurt and was out of work for a while and my Danvers Construction was losing business faster than I could have ever imagined and then all of a sudden two men show up at mom’s house and say that her baby girl faced a dreadful accident?”

Kara’s lack of response fueled Alex on. “I thought you were dead! I thought that I was going to have to bury the most important person to me and to think that the last fucking time I spoke to you was over a year ago!”

Kara pushed herself up from the couch and wrapped her arms around Alex. The tension left Alex’s body and she melted into her sister’s touch. Tears streamed down Kara’s face and she whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” And she was sorry. She didn’t even stop to think about how her family felt about everything and she finally was faced with it. 

“What do I do now, Alex?” Kara asked as she pulled away from her sister. For the first time in a long time, she needed her big sister’s guidance. She was tired of acting like didn’t need anyone because she did need someone. 

“We’ll figure it out.” Alex placed her hands on Kara’s shoulders and leaned in so their foreheads were touching. “Stronger together, remember?”


	2. Chapter II

“So, Kara,” Alex started as soon as the pair got into her car. After a grueling physical therapy session, Kara was in no mood to be lectured and by the tone of Alex’s voice, that was where the conversation was going. However, Kara was faced with the inability of escaping Alex’s already moving vehicle, so she took a deep breath and raised an eyebrow at her big sister expectantly. 

“I think, that maybe, it’s about time that you go to therapy—”

Kara cut Alex off mid-sentence and said, “Alex, don’t start this again.”

“But, Kara, it’s been three weeks since you came home and you’re barely doing anything aside from leaving the house three days a week for physical therapy.”

“And?” Kara asked as if her recent mood and energy has been completely normal. Alex shot her an incredulous look and let out sigh of disbelief.

“It’s not normal, Kar.” Alex was beginning to sound desperate. A part of Kara felt bad for making Alex feel this way, but the other part of her just wanted the conversation to be over. It was hard enough for Kara to explain and discuss her feeling with Alex, so how would anyone expect her to divulge all of this to a complete stranger.

“Please, Al. Just drop it.”

Normalcy was never really something Kara experienced in life. From a young age, Kara always dealt with tough situations that stripped her life of all normalcy. When she was younger, many of Kara’s peers poked fun at the idea of her being adopted and then, when she grew older, people started pitying and feeling sorry for her when they found out about Kara’s real parents’ untimely deaths. Truthfully, she never felt normal during her time in the military either, but that wasn’t something she liked to think about often. 

A tense silence settled in the car and Kara turned away from her sister. After everything she faced, she knew adjusting back into “civilian” life would be tough, especially with such debilitating injury, but she never imagined it to be like this. Kara thought everyone would pester her for maybe one, two days max, but Alex and Eliza were nonstop since she returned home. Every day it was the same questions: how are you feeling today? Any pain? Did you have nightmares last night? Deep in her heart, Kara knew that the women just wanted what was best for her, but she was over it. 

“If you’re as fine as you claim you are then you’re coming out with me tonight,” Alex said. Kara made an unpleasant sound and before she could back it up with some poor excuse as to why she couldn’t go out tonight, Alex continued, “it’ll be good for you to get out and plus you’ll finally meet Maggie. And there are some old pals who would like to see you too.”

“I would love to, Alex, but I promised Eliza I would—”

“First of all,” Alex said shooting her a pointed look, “you’ve never been good as lying. And, second of all, I know for a fact you’re not doing anything with or for Eliza because she will also be at the bar tonight.”   
Kara’s shoulders dropped in defeat and she turned her attention back to the passenger side window. “Fine, but if anyone started asking personal questions, I’ll leave,” Kara muttered as she looked at the passing businesses.

***  
Kara’s anxiety levels were often high, but as the sun began to dip in the sky and darkness crept its way through Midvale, her anxiety levels skyrocketed to new territory. Her hands shook as she clipped her black diamond earrings in and she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Mom,” Kara yelled from her room. 

“Yes, darling?” Eliza shouted from the living room.

“How does this look,” Kara asked as she stepped into the living room, looking to her mother expectantly. She was wearing a maroon dress that dipped just below the knee and a black jean jacket. The length of the dress hid Kara’s injury and, unless someone was looking for something to be wrong, it was barely noticeable that Kara was missing a leg. 

“Oh, Kara. You look gorgeous,” Eliza said.

Kara smiled. Part of her hoped that Eliza would have told her she looked terrible or at least said something along the lines of “people might stare,” but she would be lying if she said that the compliment didn’t make her feel good. She still felt uncomfortable, though. Her outfit may have looked cute, but she was still painfully aware of the crutches under her arm. Though she had been fitted for a prosthetic earlier in the week, it wouldn’t be ready for another week and even then, she would have to practice with it before she could just wear it out. 

A loud knock on the front door pulled Kara from her thoughts and her hands began to shake again. Going out with Eliza and Alex was one thing, but knowing that she’d be meeting Maggie for the first time and reuniting with some old friends at the bar was enough to throw her stomach into a fit. 

“Are you sure I have to come out? I’d much rather stay here and watch the soccer game—”

“Kara, you don’t have to come out,” Eliza said, placing a warm hand on Kara’s forearm. “But it would mean a lot to your sister…and I think you need to get out of the house.”

The thought of having the same “I’m fine” argument seemed like too much effort, so Kara dropped the topic while Eliza went an opened the front door. Alex’s voice floated through the house and Kara smiled. Alex was the only thing that ever remained consistent in Kara’s life and, even though she spent nearly every waking moment with her sister over the past three weeks, Kara still gets happy when she comes around. However, the smile on Kara’s face faltered when she heard another voice.

The voice was a little deeper than Alex’s but less raspy. There was something warm about the voice, but it still made Kara’s stomach take another drastic turn. She knew it was Maggie and she was excited to meet her, but she didn’t want to be looked at with pity. Before she could turn around and go back to her room, Alex was making her way into the living room, Maggie right on her heels.  
Pictures surely didn’t do Maggie justice. Though she looked really pretty in the engagement pictures that Kara studied all those weeks ago, she was beautiful in person. Her teeth were pristine and her smile was so inviting that Kara almost initiated a hug with her without saying a word. 

As Kara continued to stare at Alex’s fiancée, Eliza cleared her throat. “So, are we going to stand in silence or is someone going to do some introductions.”

“Right,” Alex said and gestured to Maggie, “Kara, this is my fiancée, Maggie, and, Maggie, this is my little sister, Kara.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Kara,” Maggie said extending her hand towards Kara.

Kara swallowed the nervousness that continued to build in the pit of her stomach and throat. Uncharacteristically, Kara took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Maggie. Though the other woman was obviously startled by the movement at first, soon the two women were connected in a touching embrace.

“It’s really nice to meet you too, Maggie,” Kara said as she pulled away from Maggie. 

“Alex told me you weren’t a hugger,” Maggie said with a laugh. Kara looked over at Alex and Eliza, both sharing the same bewildered look.

“I’m not. But hugs are reserved for family and since you’re engaged to my sister, you are family,” Kara said with a shrug and Maggie’s smile widened. When no one made a move or said a word, Kara cleared her throat. “So, are we going to get this thing started or are we just going to stay here all night?”

Alex broke out of her surprised trance and clapped her hands together. “Right! We can all ride in my car.”

Maggie and Eliza were the first to leave the house and as Kara went to step out the front door, Alex stopped her momentarily. “Thank you,” Alex said with a serious look on her face. Kara just smiled in return and made her way out to the car. The drive to the bar wasn’t nearly as long as Kara was hoping. A thirty-minute drive would’ve given her the chance to at least rehearse her greetings in her head, but the five-minute drive barely gave her time to rehearse her own name.

When they pulled up to the Dusty Mule, a wave of nostalgia swept over Kara. When she was fifteen and Alex was sixteen, they snuck into the bar after hours and stole some beers. It was such a distant memory that Kara was surprised it came to her. She wondered if Alex remembered that night and before she had the opportunity to ask, Eliza was ushering everyone out of the vehicle and into the warmth of the bar.  
Kara was overwhelmed by the mere act of entering the bar, but when she saw the large table in the corner surrounded by people she use to consider friends, she thought she was going to die of stress.

“Kara!” A high-pitched voice yelled. Suddenly a pair of arms were tightly secured around Kara’s waist and she had to hold onto the wall to stabilize herself. The culprit of the hug was Winn Schott, who Kara hadn’t seen since junior year of high school. At one point, Kara considered Winn to be her best friend and, if she is being honest, she is not really sure when and what pushed the two friends apart.

“Hey, Winn,” Kara said when they disconnected from the hug. 

“Danvers,” someone else said and Kara looked over Winn’s shoulder to see J’onn J’onnz and James Olsen. A supportive hand fell on her shoulder and she looked over to see an encouraging smile on Alex’s face. It was now or never.  
***  
At first, the situation had turned out to be a lot less awkward than Kara had anticipated. It was like old times again and everyone was just happily chatting, content with being in each other’s presence. That was until the military was brought up and suddenly all of the attention was on Kara.

“So, Kara,” James said. He took a sip out of his pint glass and continued, “what was it all like?”

Kara raised an eyebrow and took a sip out of her own glass. “What do you mean?”

“Your experience in the marines, I guess. Like, what was it like to serve?”

“It was a job.” Kara kept it short. Though James looked like he wanted to push the subject, he smiled and let it go. Winn didn’t have the same idea. At this point, Winn had consumed three shots of various liquors and was on his second beer. He cocked an eyebrow at Kara and leaned in close. At this point everyone else at the table was engaged in their own conversation, so no one was listening to Winn.

“What happened over there? Like the whole leg thing?”

Kara knew he didn’t mean any malice in the question, but she was still offended. Heat crept its way up her neck and she cleared her throat. “I really don’t want to talk about it, Winn.”

“Why not?” Winn slurred. “You disappeared for years and suddenly you come back with a bad mood and a missing leg and you expect people not to ask questions?”

Kara clenched her fists together and let out a deep breath. She could feel her mind going dark and she knew if she didn’t escape the situation, she would be plummeted back into her dark thoughts. “Winn,” Kara said, almost desperately, “can we talk about this some other time.”

Winn’s eyebrows shot up and he gesticulated wildly. “When is some other time, Kara? We all know it’s a friggen’ miracle that you even came out tonight.” Kara could smell the tequila on the breath and bile filled her throat. “Just tell me what happened. Take a bullet for someone? Or was your leg impaled?”

Kara slammed her hand on the table and suddenly all eyes were on her. Hot tears made their way down her cheek and she excused herself from the table.   
***  
The cold outside air sobered her up from her dark thoughts. She wanted to go home, but she didn’t have Alex’s keys and she couldn’t call an uber since her phone was still inside.

The bar door opened behind her and she expected it to be Alex, but when she looked over and saw Maggie, she was surprised. “You okay, Danvers?”  
Kara wiped her tears on the sleeve of her denim jacket and coughed. “Yes. I’m okay.”

“Schott doesn’t understand boundaries when he’s drunk.”

“It’s whatever.”

“It’s not, Kara,” Maggie said. “Having people probe into your personal life is extremely difficult and uncomfortable.”

“How would you know,” Kara asked. She didn’t mean to sound so snarky and she nearly apologized immediately, but Maggie smiled. 

“Did Alex tell you that I’m a police officer?” Kara shook her head and Maggie continued, “Well, I am. I’ve proudly served on the force for nearly nine years now. Last year, I was injured on the line of duty.”

Maggie pulled back the collar of her shirt to reveal a scar on her left collarbone. It was dark and wide. “I was shot here, in my lower abdomen, and was dragged forty feet by a perp’s car. It’s nothing like what you went through, that’s for sure, but I was messed up for months. When I finally went out with Alex, Winn got shitfaced and began to ask the wrong questions and I punched him in the face.”

Kara laughed. “I guess I have more restraint.”

“That’s definitely a Danvers thing,” Maggie said with a laugh.

“Not that I don’t appreciate this, but why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to know that you’re not alone and that you shouldn’t necessarily be mad at Winn. You know he used to call Alex every day to ask about you while you were gone?” Kara smiled at the idea of Winn calling her sister constantly. It’s not that Alex didn’t like the guy, but he definitely got under her skin quite often. 

“Look, Kara,” Maggie said. “All I’m saying is that sometimes people don’t know how to approach situations and sometimes you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

Kara nodded but didn’t reply. Maggie squeezed her shoulder and without another word, returned to the bar. Soon enough, Alex joined Kara outside. Kara prepared herself for some sort of lecture or some sort of pity party, but it never came.

“You know why I wanted everyone to come out tonight?” Alex asked.

“Because you wanted me to meet Maggie?” 

“That was just a bonus. But no. I wanted everyone to come out because I had an announcement.”

Kara’s eyebrows scrunched together and she looked at her sister. Over the past three weeks, there was no sign of something exciting happening in Alex’s life except for wedding that was coming up soon. “Well, what is it?”

“Danvers construction was just contacted by its biggest client ever and the project we were asked to complete would alleviate all of my recent financial struggles.”

“Are you serious,” Kara exclaimed. When Alex nodded, Kara threw her arms around her big sister and hugged her tightly. “Who’s the client and what’s the project.”

“It’s some business mogul from National City, her name is Lena Luthor,” Alex started, “I’m not particularly sure why she’s coming to Midvale, but she wants a house built here. Her floor plans are extremely detailed and the house is going to beautiful.” 

“Luthor? That name sound familiar,” Kara said. She packed the last name in the back of her head so that she could google it later.

“That’s what mom said, but we made a pack not to look her up because I don’t want it to skew my opinion of her, ya know?” Alex smile was so wide and so infectious that Kara found herself smiling too. “She’s really nice and, I was hoping, that maybe, you would consider being a part of the crew?”

“Al, I would love to, but I’m not 100% yet.”

“I know, but for now you can work on the business part of the deal. Work out the numbers and buy the supplies we’ll need. Once you have mobility with the prosthetic you can help with the build. Plus, mom says you’re much more approachable than me, so I was hoping you could kinda keep up contact with Lena…”

“You trust me with all of this,” Kara asked, gesturing around vaguely.

“Yes,” Alex said with such confidence that tears welled up in Kara’s eyes.

This was a huge proposition. Kara was afraid that maybe she wouldn’t be enough for this and that her emotional baggage would hold her back, but Alex’s confidence in her was enough to push her forward. “I would be honored to be a part of Danvers constructions.”

Alex held out her hand. “Partners?”

Kara grabbed her sister’s hand and smiled. “Partners.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena Luthor will be in the next chapter !!!!!!!!!


	3. Chapter III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost: Trigger warning-- This chapter does discuss PTSD and trauma.
> 
> Hey all! Life has been getting in the way of writing for a while, but I'm trying to get back into writing regularly, which means I should also be posting more regularly as well. Hopefully you all like this and enjoy it as much as I have.

The morning was young, but a nightmare pulled Kara out of a deep sleep and into the kitchen. She boiled a pot of water and places a tea bag into a mug in hopes that the warm beverage would bring her some solace. Though Kara was starting to feel better physically, her mental state was the same, maybe even worse, since she returned home. She noticed that her memory was foggy—certain things would come back to her, but Kara was beginning to wonder if her depression was eating away at her brain and keeping certain parts locked up.

Though Kara argued strongly against going to therapy, the thought of losing more memories terrified her more than the idea of talking to a stranger. After the night at the bar the other day, she had called Alex desperately in the middle of the night after a terrible nightmare and begged her sister to find her a therapy appointment somewhere. Of course, Alex did what she could and ended up booking one of the best PTSD therapists in Midvale. 

Kara looked over at the clock. It was 7 in the morning and she knew that Alex would be arriving soon to take her to her appointment. An overwhelming feeling of anxiety flowed through her every vein, but she took a deep breath and a sip of her tea. Kara knew that she was strong enough to do this—she dealt with her parents’ deaths all of those years ago, she dealt with being adopted and feeling out of place, so she knew that, even though it would be hard, she could deal with her injury and perhaps in the process, deal with the buried emotions she feels towards her past. 

The sound of the front door opening pulled Kara from her thoughts. She looked out through the kitchen doorway to see Alex and Maggie. Their hands were tightly clasped together and they both shared an identical smile—it made Kara’s heart warm and she didn’t realize that she, too, was smiling. The two women scanned the house momentarily before they saw Kara and joined her in the kitchen. 

“Good morning,” Alex said when she passed through the kitchen door. 

Kara stood up and hugged the two women briefly. “Good morning.”

“How are you feeling about today,” Maggie asked. It was a simple question and shouldn’t have stressed Kara out, but of course it did. The younger woman took another sip of tea and let out a deep breath.  
“I’m not sure, honestly,” Kara finally answered. She shrugged her shoulders and placed her mug back on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t a lie. Kara didn’t know how to feel about therapy. Talking about her feelings was never one of her strongest abilities and she wasn’t quite sure how to open up to a complete stranger about such strong feelings.

“You know,” Maggie said, “you don’t need to see therapy as some scary thing.” 

Before they could dive into the conversation, Alex interrupted. “I’m going to go see if mom is up. I think the two of you should talk alone for a minute.”

Alex smiled at her younger sister and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the kitchen. Kara took a seat at the kitchen counter and Maggie sat across from her. The younger woman’s fingers trembled as she held her mug tightly. The only thing that was keeping Kara from running away and hiding in her room was the soft, knowing look on Maggie’s face.

“How did you deal with it,” Kara asked. 

“What? Therapy?”

“Yeah,” Kara said. “Like after your incident… how did you just open up to a stranger?”

Maggie smiled. “I didn’t consider them a stranger, to be honest. I was terrified much like you at first, but when I got there it just felt like I was making a new friend because all the Doctor wants to do is have you open up.”

“I’m not good at opening up, though,” Kara said.

“I know, your sister told me,” Maggie said with a laugh. “But I guarantee you when you start talking, you will feel better.”

Kara was about to reply, but her mother and sister entered the kitchen and the conversation came to a natural stop. Kara couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something so comforting about Maggie that she felt immensely better after talking to the other woman. 

“I hate to break up your bonding time, but it’s time to get you to your appointment, Kara,” Alex said. 

Kara nodded and stood up. Thankfully, over the past few weeks, Kara’s balance on one foot became tremendously better and she no longer found herself needing to hold onto something to get up. Alex handed Kara her crutches and the three women made their way out of the house.

“Kara,” Alex asked from the driver’s seat as they drove to the doctor’s office. 

Kara peeled her eyes away from the window and looked at her sister. “What’s up?”

“Depending on how you’re feeling after this appointment, is there any chance you might want to be join me for some coffee with Ms. Luthor? She’s in town to discuss the upcoming project.”  
With all that has been going on, the whole construction project had nearly slipped Kara’s mind. If this had been a week ago, she would have automatically shot down her sister’s offer, but there was something exciting in the idea of getting completely involved with something new that would help Kara escape her own mind. 

“Yes, of course. At least let me clean up a little though after this appointment. I’m still technically in my pajamas and I’d rather look presentable for her.”

“Well, duh. I was not going to allow you to meet this very rich and powerful woman in sweatpants and a stained t shirt.”

“Fair.”

Alex smiled at her sister through the rearview mirror and a smile crept its way on to Kara’s face too. Their conversation ended on nearly perfect timing because not even a minute later they pulled up to the doctor’s office. 

“Remember, we will be right outside and things will be okay,” Maggie said.

Kara nodded and pushed the car door open. “Here’s to the start of healing,” Kara muttered to herself.

***

“Hi. Kara Danvers, right?” 

The voice startled Kara and she looked up from the chair she had been sitting on. She made eye contact with the woman that spoke to her. She had a smile on her face and there was something oddly comforting yet threatening about her aura. Kara cleared her throat. “Yes…and you are Dr. Grant?”

“That’s right,” She said with confidence. There was something comforting in the way the doctor carried herself. When Alex told her that this was who she would be seeing, Kara did some investigating on the doctor. Kara found in her search that the doctor was the real deal and though she often comes across as assertive and rude in press conferences and such, she’s extremely successful in her field and almost never gets complaints from patients. 

“So…how does this work?” Kara asked. 

Dr. Grant smiled and sat down in the chair across from Kara. She crossed her legs and leaned the yellow legal pad she was holding against her lap. “Well, Kara, from what I have learned over the years therapy is really subjective to each patient. I could make some suggestions on how we could start, but I have found things turn out to flow easier when my patients start first.” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t really know where exactly to start.”

“That is usually the most difficult part. Why don’t you just talk out loud. Sometimes just voicing things can get you started on the bigger problem.”

Kara’s fingers played with small strings at the end of her t shirt. Suddenly she felt like a little kid in the principal’s office waiting to receive some sort of punishment. She couldn’t find her voice right away, but Dr. Grant didn’t say anything, she just smiled in encouragement and let Kara figure it out.

“I guess what’s really hard right now is the dreams…well, I guess they are actually nightmares. It’s the same one every night or at least some sort of variation of the same one.”

“What happens in the nightmare?”

“It’s more like an intense, vivid flashback of the accident that lead to this,” Kara said gesturing vaguely at her missing limb.

“Tell me about it,” Dr. Grant said. Kara adjusted uncomfortably in her chair. She hadn’t actually told anyone about what exactly happened and suddenly she felt like the room was closing in around her.   
“Honestly, some of it is a little blurry. Recently I realized that I have been struggling to connect some dots and such in my memory.”

“Trauma can do that to you and with untreated depression, it can get worse.”

Kara chewed the inside of her mouth and ran a shaky hand through her hair. “I keep seeing our HUMV flipping over and I can practically feel the weight of the dashboard pinned against me every time I lay down. Then when I start remembering the shooting, I see my fellow solider—no, my friend, Leslie, putting herself in front of me to cover me from the bullets. I see myself bloody, but not even from my own blood, it’s hers that’s all over me and I feel the weight of her dead body on top of me along with the dashboard…and that’s when I usually wake up in a cold sweat.”

“Tell me about Leslie,” Dr. Grant said. Kara hesitated. She thought that the doctor would have wanted her to keep talking about the actual accident, so when she asked about Leslie, Kara was taken aback. 

“Leslie was my friend,” Kara said and then laughed. “Well, I considered her my friend. We started off on the wrong foot at first.”

“Did you meet during boot camp or?”

“Yes. We were super competitive during boot camp, which drove a wedge between us at first, but I started to realize that whenever I needed help, she was always there and always willing to pick me up when I was down. We may have had our differences, but she told me everything about herself and she even told me that I was like the sister she never had.”

“Do you think that perhaps the loss of her, especially in such a heroic way, is what might have hurt you the most out of the situation?”

A stray tear raced down the side of Kara’s face. She never really thought of it that way because the obvious trauma is the fact that she was missing a leg, but she never stopped to think about the fact that Leslie laid her life down for her. 

“I couldn’t even go to her funeral. I was fighting to stay alive while they buried her and the only reason she is gone is because of me. If I could have just unpinned myself from the dashboard, she wouldn’t have had to protect me.”

The weight of everything made Kara sob, but Dr. Grant didn’t flinch. She remained optimistic and thoughtful. For a moment, Kara felt a little better.

***

The hour appointment with Dr. Grant practically flew by and when Kara made her way out to Alex’s car, she felt lighter than she did before she went into the building. Though there was still truckloads more of things that she needed to unpack, getting to talk about Leslie’s death was a helpful start and she knew more still needed to be said on that subject as well.

When Kara reached the car and got into the backseat, neither Alex nor Maggie pushed the subject or asked her how it went, which she was grateful for. Instead they drove in relative silence all the way back to Eliza’s house. 

“Please get ready quick,” Alex said as they pulled up to Eliza’s house. The older woman looked down at her watch. “We’re supposed to be at the coffee house in about thirty minutes. Maggie is going to stay here while we go.”

Kara nodded. “Yes ma’am, I will be right out.” 

Kara rushed her way into the house and ripped apart her drawers in hopes to find a nice outfit. After a few panicked moments, Kara settled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a pale-yellow long sleeve shirt that had the Danvers Construction symbol on the chest. Once she pulled the jeans on, she pined up the fabric that hung limply in the air and pulled her shirt over her head. On the way out of her room, she grabbed her laptop case and threw a notebook and pen in the bag as well, just so she could take notes during the meeting. 

She said her goodbyes to her mother and Maggie and then hobbled her way out to the car. “Nice way to promote us,” Alex said gesturing to Kara’s shirt as she climbed into the car. Kara just smiled and they made their way to the coffee house. Kara would be lying if she said she wasn’t thrilled for this meeting, mostly because the coffee place they’re going to is to die for. It’s called “Brainiac” and its run by a boyfriend/girlfriend duo who also own the fashion boutique next to it. Kara and Alex use to go there so much that the staff knew their orders by heart.

Thankfully they arrived about ten minutes before the actual meeting time so they could get a table and set up before Ms. Luthor arrived. Alex placed an order for three black coffees, figuring that Ms. Luthor could just add whatever she wanted when she came in.

Alex started to drone on and on about some sort of business thing but Kara’s focus was suddenly on something else. The most stunning woman made her way through the front door and Kara’s eyes were fixated on her. She was about average height and her figure was like no other. Her jet-black hair complimented her dark red lipstick and the black dress she was wearing hugged her curves just right. 

Kara was only pulled out of her thoughts when Alex stood up and exclaimed, “Ms. Lena Luthor, right over here.”

When the gorgeous woman started walking towards the two of them, Kara thought she was about to die right then and there. “Hello, Alex. It’s nice to finally meet you face to face.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Alex responded, putting her hand out and firmly shaking Lena’s. “This is my little sister, Kara, she will be helping with this project.”

Lena’s eyes shifted to the younger woman and Kara felt lightheaded. When her brain finally started to work, she smiled and stuck her hand out. “Kara…Kara Danvers.”

“Well, Kara Danvers, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lena said with a wink and a wicked smile.

A feeling Kara never experienced pooled in her stomach.

**Author's Note:**

> Bother me on tumblr @yes-danvers


End file.
